Electrical connector



Ap 6, 1965 R. s. SOLOROW ETAL 3,177,454

ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR Filed Sept. 8. 1950 FIG.2-

United States Patent 3,177,464 ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR Russell S. Solorow, Norwalk, Rocco J. Noschese, Rowayton, and Jon I. Wigby, Ansonia, Conn, assignors to Burndy Corporation, a corporation of New York Filed Sept. 8, 1960, Ser. No. 54,653 4 Claims. (Cl. 339-196) This invention relates to electrical connectors, and more particularly to a quick release housing for a plurality of contacts.

Connectors having a plurality of removable individual contacts are well known. These contacts may be individually retained in the housing by individual retention means, such as springs, or they may be jointly retained by a common retention means, such as a two piece housing. Both of these prior art techniques generally require elaborate or precise disassembly techniques. Such techniques are often inconvenient in very cold weather when dealing with heavy gage conductors. Small parts on the connector may be difiicult to handle, and it may be impossible to individually flex each conductor as its contact is extracted from the housing.

It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide a connector wherein contacts may be individually or concurrently inserted into the housing, and may be quickly, easily and concurrently removed from the housing.

A feature of this invention is a two position retention device which is manually operable from outside the hous ing, and which by peripheral engagement with the contacts retains the contacts in the housing.

These and other objects and features of this invention will become more apparent by reference to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view in partial section of a connector housing embodying this invention;

FIG. 2 is a view in elevation in partial section of the connector housing of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a perspective assembly view of another connector housing embodying this invention.

FIG. 1 illustrates a connector housing 1 for a plurality of contacts showing one contact 2 and its associated conductor 3 inserted therein. The connector housing 1 has a plurality of bores 4 disposed in a circle and adapted to receive contacts therein. Each contact 2 may have a body portion 5, a contact making portion 6 (here shown as a male type contact), a tapered portion 7 forming a shoulder 8, and an insulation shroud 9.

Each bore 4 has a portion of reduced diameter 10 to provide a front stop 11 against over-insertion of the contact 2. A rear stop against removal of the contact is provided by a split peripheral ring 12 which may comprise two semi-rings 12a, 12b. The peripheral ring 12 is disposed in a neck in the housing which partially cuts into each bore, providing a stop 13 therein to cooperate with contact shoulder 8. The peripheral ring 12 has a channel therein to accommodate a circumferential spring 14, which may be a circular garter spring, an 0 ring, or a Negator type of compressively wound, coiled fiat spring, and which retains the peripheral ring 12 in its neck in the housing 1. The peripheral ring 12 is provided with a chamfer 15 on one edge. When the contact 2 is inserted, body portion clears the ring 12. Tapered portion 7 abuts the chamfer 15 and cams the ring 12 par- I tially out of itsneck in the housing. When the tapered ring 12 may be made of resilient C construction, or of more than two partial-ring elements.

3,177,464 Patented Apr. 6, 1965 ICC An unlocking tab 16 is provided between each pair of opposed ends of the semi-rings 12a, 12b of the peripheral ring 12. A corner of each ring end is chamfered, as at 17. Each tab 16 has an angular surface 18, which, when the tab 16 is pushed in, as shown by arrow A in FIG. 2, abuts the chamfer 17 and cams the ring 12 partially out of its neck in the housing, thereby releasing any contacts 2 which may be in the housing. Each tab 16 may be beveled, as at 19, on its edge, and disposed in an undercut slot 20 in the housing, the dovetail construction radially retaining the tab 16 in the housing. Lugs 21 on the end of tab 16 abut the ends of the peripheral ring 12 and axially retain the tabs.

The housing may be secured in the connector shell 22 by any suitable means, such as a C ring 23 and a shoulder 24.

Another embodiment of the invention is shown in FIG- URE 3. Here a contact housing has a plurality of bores 31 to accommodate contacts 32. Each contact 32 has a body portion 33 with a shoulder 34 and 35 at each end thereof, a contact making portion 36 (here shown as a female contact), and an insulation shroud 37. Each bore 31 in the housing includes a portion (not shown) of reduced diameter to provide a front stop to abut shoulder 34 and prevent over-insertion of the contact 32. The housing 30 may be retained in the connector shell 38 by any suitable means, such as a shoulder (not shown), and a key (not shown) and a keyway 39. Juxtaposed behind the housing is an annular retaining ring 40 having internal scallops. Alternate scallops 41 are adapted to peripherally engage the contacts behind shoulder 35 and prevent contact removal. Scallops 42 are adapted to clear the contacts and permit their insertion and removal. The retaining ring 40 may be rotated so that either scallops 41 or 42 are adjacent the contacts 32. The retaining ring 46 includes a peripheral lead-in-groove 43 and a dimple 44. The shell 38 includes a spring loaded plunger detent 45 which is adapted to cooperate with the lead-in-groove 43 and dimple 44 to lock the retaining ring in the contact engaging position. A 0 spring 46 may be provided to secure the housing 30 and ring 40 in the shell. Suitable means, such as tool receiving recesses 47, may be provided in the face of retaining ring 40 to permit its convenient rotation.

The invention has thus been described but it is desired to be understood that it is not confined to the particular forms or usages shown and described. The same being merely illustrative, and that the invention may be carried out in other ways Without departing from the spirit of the invention, and therefore, theright is broadly claimed to employ all equivalent instrumentalities coming within the scope of the appendent claims, and by means of which objects of this invention are attained and new results accomplished, as it is obvious that the particular embodiments herein shown and described are only some of the many that can be employed to obtain these objects and accomplish these results.

We claim:

1. A connector assembly comprising: a contact mounting block; a plurality of bores in said mounting block; a contact disposed in each bore; each contact having a surface discontinuity thereon, bore constricting means cooperating with said mounting block; said bore constricting means having two positions, a first position wherein said constricting means is disposed at least in part within a plurality of said bores and interlocks with said surface discontinuities on said contacts contained therein, and a second position wherein said constricting means is disposed without said plurality of said bores; means to maintain said constricting means in said first position and means to move said constricting means to 7 a a 4 a I said second position; wherein said contact surface discontinuity is" a shoulder; and wherein said mounting bl'ock includes a circumferentialvch'annel, the bottom of which channel cuts into said bores, saidbore constricting means comprising a split ring disposed in saidchanneL'said ring engaging said contact shoulders.

2". A- connector according to claim 1-wherein said split ring comprises a plurality of elements of arcua'te shape,-

said means to maintain said constricting means in said first position comprising a spring disposed about said ring;

position is a cam transition surface adjacent said con tact shouldeh References Cited by the Examiner" UNITED STATES PATENTS 9/33 Watts 339-91 6/40 Wolf 339-255 2/41 Joseph 339-89 V 8/45 Buchanan. V 1 1 /45 Pic'a'rd 339-89 9/47 Gorey 339-255 5/53 Webb 339-91 5/54 Anderson et aI-. 339-91 7 3/56 McLean et a1; 339-192 -10/56 French 339-174 FOREIGN PATENTS V 2/41 Great Britain. 5/29 France.

J'OSEPH'D. SEERS,Primar'y Examiner; 

1. A CONNECTOR ASSEMBLY COMPRISING: A CONTACT MOUNTING BLOCK; A PLURALITY OF BORES IN SAID MOUNTING BLOCK; A CONTACT DISPOSED IN EACH BORE; EACH CONTACT HAVING A SURFACE DISCONTINUITY THEREON, BOR CONSTRICTING MEANS COOPERATING WITH SAID MOUNTING BLOCK; SAID BORE CONSTRICTING MEANS HAVING TWO POSITIONS, A FIRST POSITION WHEREIN SAID CONSTRICTING MEANS IS DISPOSED AT LEAST IN PART WITHIN A PLURALITY OF SAID BORES AND INTERLOCKS WITH SAID SURFACE DISCONTINUITIES ON SAID CONTACTS CONTAINED THEREIN, AND A SECOND POSITION WHEREIN SAID CONSTRICTING MEANS IS DISPOSED WITHOUT SAID PLURALITY OF SAID BORES; MEANS TO MAINTAIN SAID CONSTRICTING MEANS IN SAID FIRST POSITION AND MEANS TO MOVE SAID CONSTRICTING MEANS TO SAID SECOND POSITION; WHEREIN SAID CONTACT SURFACE DISCONTINUITY IS A SHOULDER; AND WHEREIN SAID MOUNTING BLOCK INCLUDES A CIRCUMFERENTIAL CHANNEL, THE BOTTOM OF WHICH CHANNEL CUTS INTO SAID BORES, SAID BORE CONSTRICTING MEANS COMPRISING A SPLIT RING DISPOSED IN SAID CHANNEL, SAID RING ENGAGING SAID CONTACT SHOULDERS. 